True West 2017 Road Trip - Day 4

Oct 24, 2017, Destinations

If you don’t jeep over the mountain into Telluride then you must go the civilized route via the highway.  Your first stop just a short distance from Ouray is the town of Ridgway.  Certified by the State of Colorado as a Creative District, this little town has attracted artists and creative entrepreneurs and they have a very active public art program.  I was lucky enough to meet the prolific sculptor Michael McCullough in his gallery a few years ago, before he passed away, and have him explain some of his special techniques.  His old gallery, located in the old firehouse, was used in the filming of the original “True Grit” movie with John Wayne, as were other areas of Ridgway.  If you watch that movie you will see that the beautiful background scenery is all from the Ridgway area.

Traveling past the incredible ranch of Ralph Lauren you begin to see the stunning backdrop of Mt. Wilson and Wilson Peak, both over 14,000 feet high.  Telluride lies in a box canyon so there is only one way in (by regular road) and as you enter the canyon the dramatic walls that surround you will take your breath away with their beauty.  This was a true mining town that has now become one of the most chic ski resort towns in America.  Plenty of shops and restaurants beckon visitors along the main street and side streets, which were the first streets in the world to have electric lighting, thanks to Nikola Tesla and his first hydro-electric AC generating power plant located nearby.  Up on the Mountain Village there are some great hotels for your incentive groups.  In addition to skiing in Winter and jeeping programs in Summer, True West can take you rafting, fly fishing, mountain biking and hiking and then help you recover each night with deluxe culinary experiences in the many great restaurants of Telluride and the Mountain Village.  The regional airport offers flights from some major western hubs so you can gain fast access to this destination if you don’t want to drive. 

I can’t say enough good things about Telluride.  It is truly one of my favorite destinations in the Western USA and everyone needs to experience the beauty at least once in their lives.  True West Incentive Travel has a 42 year history in this town and would love to share it with incentive groups that want to try something new.